Spotted Sandpiper in flight
Actitis macularius
Spotted Sandpiper · Green-Wood Cemetery · 25 May 2026
A Spotted Sandpiper in flight over the Green-Wood lake in May, the one sandpiper that breeds on almost every lake and river in North America rather than on the Arctic tundra. It nests on the ground at the water's edge, and a park lake will do.
Stiff, shallow, fluttering wingbeats held below the horizontal are close to diagnostic for this species in flight, quite different from the deep wingbeat of most sandpipers. The bold spotting that names the bird is a breeding-season feature only. Spotted Sandpipers also reverse the usual roles: females arrive first, compete for territory and mates, and may pair with several males in a season, while the males do most of the incubating and chick-rearing.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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